Portland is "The City Of Roses" & in late May & early June the city celebrates with The Rose Festival (established in 1907). This means 2 parades - The Starlight & The Grand Floral, the "Fun Center" on the waterfront, the presentation of the Rose Princesses & crowning of the Rose Queen, Dragon Boat Races & the one & only thing I enjoy about the festival- FLEET WEEK.
Portland is blessed with cool wet springs & many a Rose Festival has been held in the most miserable of cold pounding rainstorms. Crabby old man that I am, I always get a good chuckle out of a parade ruined by sheets of rain pouring down on the unfortunate hordes. Not this year... Portland has had a week + of mid-80s & sunny days & beautiful nights. Those conditions are predicted to last through the weekend & for the next 10 days. Damn!
I really dislike anytime there is a large gathering of people who aren't usually there (unless they are there to see me). This would include: Renaissance Fairs, Folklife Festivals, state & county fairs, & my most dreaded - parades. I work in downtown Portland & tonight is the Starlight Parade. The parade-goers start camping out on the parade route 24 hours before the event. I will get off work at 8pm & will have to find my way home through the parade route. The parade actually wraps around the building that I work in. Besides having to deal with the horrid crowds & their children, in from the suburbs, I actually might run into one of that most disturbing of characters- a clown! But then, I also stand a good chance of running into a lonely sailor, on his first visit to Portland, asking for directions.
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